A conventional MOSFET operates by driving current through the channel region between the source and drain of a device. The conductivity of the channel region is modulated by the application of a voltage on the conducting gate above the channel surface and insulated from it. Efforts are ongoing within many MOS integrated circuit manufacturing companies as well as at many universities and government laboratories to improve the speed and available drive currents with MOSFETs to reduce their power consumption, and to improve their reliability and radiation hardness for applications in harsher remote environments, including space.
One of the goals in semiconductor processing is to maximize the use of the available silicon area. This allows increased miniaturization of the electronic circuitry. In particular, it is desirable to maximize the drive current for a given silicon area. This has included devices in which multiple gates are provided. For example, dual gate devices in which the drive current is doubled for a given silicon area have been created. Further improvements in maximizing the drive current for a given silicon area are desirable.